"According to Phil [Roche, brewer and beer developer], a generous amount of Munich and Vienna malts give this beer its copper color and toasty-caramel aroma. German noble hops provide complimentary bitterness and a clean, dry finish. The beer has been cold-conditioned for six weeks and goes down smooth."

43 IBU

Originally a pub-only beer, Re-released in April 2012 as part of the Brewer's Share series.

More User Reviews:

The beer pours a hazy brown color with a tan head. The aroma is full of toffee malt, with a hint of grass and some earth thrown in. The flavor similar. I get a lot of toffee notes, as well as some grass and ice-tea character. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. I am not a huge fan of altbiers, but this one was pretty good.

22oz bottle best before 08 2013. Pours a beautiful deep red color in pint glass with a rapidly falling head. I can't detect any aroma at all. Flavor is pretty neutral as well, with a delicate graininess of raw barley. Very balanced, but not very flavorful. According to BA's notes this was brewed once in 2012. Maybe this bottle is just too old (though it's an alt, so aging ought to be permitted). Since it's before the best buy date I consider it fair game to review. Drinkable but unimpressive.

Poured a finger of head on a dark amber colored body. Looks great.It smells old (it is an altbier after all). Seriously, it has a good barnyard/hay and earth smell to it. It's fairly complex for an alt with some mild maltiness to start, then some hop spice and finishes with a bit of burnt wood. The texture is crisp with moderate carbonation.I haven't tasted many, but this is the best altbier I've had.

Pours a crystal-clear dark amber with a thinnish head. Some caramel in the nose with herbal noble hops being the strongest aroma here. Flavor is CLEAN: something that a lot of US brewers fail to do with alts. Nice caramel, biscuit malts with a little toast (I'd hope for a little less toast still). Nice herbal, grassy noble hop flavors with a sturdy bitterness and dryness in the end. Mouthfeel has some prickly carbonation. Not too sticky nor slick nor heavy. Overall, this isn't the best altbier I've had, but it's one of the very few and rare examples of a US microbrewery actually making an alt instead of labeling a messy, estery, toasty mess an "altbier." Seriously, I'm tired of US breweries making generic dark amber ales and calling them altbier.

- This is a mostly clear dark brown ale, a slight molasses color. It is really about the color of a nice iced-tea. A finger of fluffy off-white head settled down to a bit of lacing and a thin foamy island in the glass. Overall pretty good and standard for the style.

Smell: (4.0)

- The zesty Full Sail bready yeast is certainly present. Light fruit, esters, and spice are melded well with a biscuit grainy and husky malt which is lightly sweet like honey and molasses. To me this certainly smells good.

Taste: (3.5)

- Up front this brews flavor is a biscuit malt full of grain, yeast, semi-sweet molasses, and caramel malt with a nice spice. In the finish it has a zesty and earthy bitter hop. I quite like it, and think it is a nice change, though it does contain a lot of that signature Full Sail flavor. Some esters, and even light alcohol seem present.

Mouth Feel: (3.5)

- It's a light to medium bodied brew, well carbonated and a touch chewy with some dryness in the finish from the hops. It doesn't seem thin upfront, but thins out a little in the finish. Expected from a light beer.

Overall: (3.5)

- This is a robust and full flavored brew. It packs a lot for a 5.1% abv. Alt. I like it, and it seems to mostly hit the style markers for me. It has a nice hoppy finish without the aroma craziness. Good bitterness, clean water, and a nice malt bill with that Signature yeast flavor. Solid beer, and worth the try. Bet it would be a real treat on cask at the pub.

22 picked up at the COOP for about $4ish... Poured into my thin tulip... okay white head with surprisingly good lacing and cap.. the brew is deep amber... very clear.

Grainy and malty... hints of some PNW hops.. pretty clean.

Nice bitter bite up front helps balance all the coming malts... The grains are dry as expected... dark toast and caramel... biscuit presence.... hops come back on the finish lingering with some good bitterness. Again, very clean... pretty much spot-on.

Body seems a touch heavy for the style.. lighter than expected carbonation weighs things to the heavy side.

Poured into a stange. Pours a medium to dark reddish amber with a thin off-white head with good retention and nice lacing. Aromatic aroma of slightly toasty caramel malt and a hint of wheat and hops. Medium bodied. Flavor dominated by bisquit malt and very toasty with a dry, pleasant moderate hop finish. I liked the toasiness in the middle on this one, a pleasant altbier.